Packing-extractor.



Patented Ian. I, |9o|. J. DOYLE & H. A. SflUlBB. PACKING EXTRAGTOB (Application filed May 16, 1900.;

(No Model.)

thereof.

UNITED STATES PATEN F JOHN DOYLE AND HENRY A. SQUIBB, OF HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY.

PACKI NG-EXTRACTO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N6. 665,073, dated January 1, 1961.

Application filed May 16, 1900. Serial No. 16,901. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that we, JOHN DOYLE and HENRY A. SQUIBB, of Hoboken, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain ,new and useful Improvement in Packing-Extractors, of which the following is a specification.

The invention will serve to extract from stuffing-boxes any of the forms of fibrous packing. We will describe it as used with the variety known as Tucks, applied around a small piston-rod or valve-stem. Ordinarily packing in the stuifing-box can be kept in proper condition a longtime by removing the gland at intervals and after applying one or more fresh rings upon the packing returning the gland to place; but when through unequal wear or any other cause it becomes expedient to remove one or more rings of the packing or to remove the whole of the old and halfworn packing which has been strongly compressed in the stuffing-box our invention allows this to be done with facility and without risk of marring the smooth surface of valve stems or rods. We employ a tubular portion, which we will term the middle piece,

equipped to serve as a handle, which performs several duties, at one period serving as a guide for a shaft which in one position revolves loosely within it, while at another period, held in a different position, it serves as a handle through which a strong force may be exerted to pull endwise on a worm or screw attached to the end, and thereby remove the packing. Assuming the stuffing-box to open upward around a vertical rod, we employ a tool analogous to a corkscrew on one end with a fine screw-thread on the other end by which it can be engaged with a cylindrical coupling-piece of brass having an outside diameter somewhat larger than the convolutions of the corkscrew. This coupling-piece is permanently set on a shank which is connected by a universal joint of particular construction with a shaft which revolves loosely in our middle piece and is provided with a peculiar turning means at the other end To engage our corkscrew with the packing, the gland is liberated and removed by sliding it backward on the piston-rod in the obvious manner, and our packing-extractor is brought into position with its shank through our middle piece to urge the entrance ofthecorkscrewintothepacking. The means for turning the shaft involves both an ordinary crank and a cross-bar on the shaft capable of serving like the handle of a gimlet.

When the device is used crankwise and the corkscrew has become deeply embedded in the packing, so as to offer a great resistance, the hand may be applied to the cross-bar gimletwise, as shown in Fig. 1,-to turn the shaft. In engaging the corkscrew with the packing our middle piece should be held as nearly in line with the shank carrying the corkscrew as the space available will allow. ,It affords a reliable and convenient means of holding the shaft in such position. It is especially easy to thus hold it by one hand while the other hand is applied in the manner shown in Fig. 1. When the corkscrew has been deeply entered into the packing, an entire change is made in thefunction of the parts. Our middle piece is then turned down into a horizontal position, or even a little past that position, and the same hand or the other or both hands of the operator are applied to the middle piece to impart a strong pulling force. The shank of the corkscrew yields in obedience to this force, bringing with it the pack- A repetition or two of this treatment removes all the packing from the stuffingbox.

The coupling being of brass has a soft'nature and may turn in contact with the surface of piston-rods or valve-stems without making any marks on the highly-polished cylindrical surfaces. It also insures the shank being held at the proper distance from the surface of the rod and .allows the operation to be conducted rapidly without injury to any part.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification and represent what we con-' ICC sider the best means of carrying out the invention.

Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section through a stuffing-box with our packing-extractor in the act of being engaged. The dotted lines in this figure show the hand of the operator peculiarly applied. Fig. 2 shows the same with our packing-extractor in a different position and the opera'tors hands in the act of forcibly lifting and withdrawing the packing by a direct pull. Fig. 8 shows the same with a mode of operating leverwise with our device to commence the extraction of the packing. Fig. 4 is a section, partly in elevation, showing a portion on a larger scale. Fig. 5 is a corresponding view showing another portion on a larger scale; and Fig. 6 is a corresponding view of a portion showing a modification.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout this specification.

A is the stuffingbox, B the piston-rod, and C our middle piece, which performs the double or triple duties of a guide for the inclosed shaft at one stage and a handle through which the operator may give a strong lifting force at another stage or, again, as a lever for still further applying a pulling force.

W indicates the fibrous packing.

D is the shaft; D, the cross-bar; D the crank-handle; D an enlargement, and D an eye which forms part of a strong and cheap universal joint. It engages with a corresponding eye E in the flattened end of the shank E. The lower end of this shank is permanently set in the brass coupling-piece G, the lower end of which latter is bored and tapped, as indicated by g.

H is an important member, which we designate as a corkscrew, but which may well be somewhat stouter than the ordinary device The short straight extension 3 of that name. H is screw-threaded at its upper end, as indicated by H The threads of H match in the screw-threaded hole g. The corkscrew may be removed from the coupling G and a larger or smaller corkscrew applied at will by simply turning it with sufficient force by a wrench or gas-pipe pliers in the obvious manner. The permanent connection of the coupling G to the shank E may be secured by a transverse pin 1*.

The same parts may be used with a wide variation in the size of the rod 13 and stuffingboX A. We propose to supply three or any other required number of sizes of the corkscrew H, adapted to match successively in the screw-threaded hole g, the larger corkscrew being used for larger packings. It may be expedient under some conditions to have two or more of our sets of parts and to engage them simultaneously with the packing on the opposite sides'of a rod, which after being properly. engaged may be subjected to a strong pulling force simultaneously. Such mode of operation moves the packing uniformly and insures successful removal.

In such cases where the packi ng is stuck fast in the stuffing-box so strongly as to require very forcible means for its removal our simple mechanism allows the working of the middle piece 0 leverwise. This is an additional quality of the invention not usually required, but important in some exigencies. Fig. 3 shows this mode of operating, M being a short piece of metal or any convenient strong material which chances to be of the right length or which can be adjusted so as to be of the right length to serve as a fulcrum. In this use of theinvention the corkscrew is first turned into the packing, so as to take a strong hold of the upper ring. Then the fulcrui'n-piece M is applied, resting on the edge of the stufiing-box, and its upper end presented against the enlargement D of the shaft D, adjacent to the lower end of the middle piece. Then the operator, by pressing upon the outer end of the middle piece C, exerts a stronger pulling force on the corkscrew than would be otherwise available. After the packing has been started by this means the fulcrum-piece M may be laid aside and the further removal of the packing proceeded with, as above described.

We attach importance to the cou pling-piecc G because it insures holding of the shank at approximately the proper distance from the surface of the piston-rod or valve-stem which the packing surrounds, and by virtue of its cylindrical form and its relatively soft character it cannot with any ordinary usage in any wise abrade orin j u re the surfaces of the rods.

WVe attach importance to the crossbar D, carrying the crank-handle D on one of its ends, because it allows of acting crankwiso or gimletwise at will, according to the resistance encountered in revolving the shaft.

Our universal joint is peculiar. The engagement of the eye D with the eye E is shown as loose, so as to more clearly show the construction; but in practice we make the parts as closely fitted as possible, both being smoothly rounded. The enlargement D of the shaft D forms not only a shoulder against which the pressure may be well received from the middle piece, but also a broad bearing to act well against the rounded eye E in further transmitting the force to the corkscrew when it is being engaged with the packing. The eyes D and E also transmit the strain very directly and reliably in the opposite direction when at a later stage the required pulling force is exerted to remove the packing from the stuffing-box.

Modifications may be made without departing from the principle or sacrificing the advantages of the invention. The shank E may be made much longer. or even somewhat shorter than shown. The middle piece 0 and the inclosed shaft may be made longer. Instead of having the coupling-piece G permanently fixed on the shank E it may be permanently set on the stem of the corkscrew, and it can be then engaged with the shank E and disengaged therefrom at will. Fig. 6 shows such modification, the end of the shank E being tapped to receive the screw-threaded end of the stem of the corkscrew and the coupling-piece G being set tightly on such stem by a driving fit. Instead of making the enlargement D in aseparate piece secured by the cross-pin F it may be made integral with shaft D. We esteem it important that its end presented to the eye E have a sufficient area to afford a fair bearing in all positions as the parts are revolved. Parts of the invention may be used without the whole. We have worked successfully without our peculiar cross-barD using only an ordinary crankarm and crank-handle.

We claim as our invention 1. In a packing-extracting device, a middle piece capable of working at different inclinations to perform different functions, in combination with a shaft traversing such piece, provisions for turning such shaft, a corkscrew carried in a shank and stout closely-fitting eyes connecting the shank and shaft, adapted to serve as a universal joint for turning and a connection for strongly pulling the corkscrew all substantially as herein specified.

2. In a packing-extracting device, a middle piece capable of working at different inclinations to perform different functions in combination with a shaft traversing such piece,

provisions for turning such shaft, a corkscrew carried in a shank and stout loosely-fitting eyes connecting the shank and shaft, adapted to serve as a universal joint for turning and a connection for strongly pulling the corkscrew, and the piece G of brass or analogous metal of circular cross-section carried on the shank serving both as a coupling for mak-.

ing the corkscrew detachable and a simple guide for holding the shank at a proper distance from the rod, all substantially as herein specified.

3. The packing-extractor described comprising the middle piece 0, the shaft D revoluble in the axial line thereof and having the cross-bar D and crank-handle D on one end thereof and the eye D on the opposite end, the shank E having the eye E engaged with the eye D and the coupling-piece G having the screw-threaded hole g, and the detachable corkscrew I-I having the screwthreaded end H all combined and arranged to serve substantially as herein specified.

In testimony that we claim the invention above set forth we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN DOYLE.

. HENRY A. SQUIBB.

Witnesses:

MARGARET LOUISE BUDENBENDER, WILLIAM C. BUDENBENDER. 

